Share this:

Select the top 10 plays from a 49ers‘ season? Do preseason games count?

This season, of course, there are plenty of memorable moments from which to choose.

These were the best in San Francisco’s 13-3 regular season from Justin Smith’s tenacity in Philadelphia to some trickery in St. Louis.

1. Smith’s Strip

49ers 24, Eagles 23, Oct. 2

With one mighty left-handed punch, defensive tackle Justin Smith secured the 49ers’ biggest comeback win in 15 years and forged the identity of a still-developing team that would come to be known for its resiliency.

After chasing quarterback Michael Vick for 58 minutes, Smith summoned the energy on his 68th and final play to track down Jeremy Maclin as the speedy wideout raced into game-winning-field-goal territory. Fully outstretched, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Smith punched out the ball, which was held loosely in Maclin’s left arm.

Team Tenacious 24, Dream Team 23.

“The old 49ers, you know what everybody thinks about them,” running back Frank Gore said after the game. “But we’re coming. We’re coming.”

Indeed, look out from behind.

2. Walker in Detroit

49ers 25, Lions 19, Oct. 16

With the 49ers facing 4th-and-goal at the Lions’ 6-yard line with just under two minutes left, the din in Detroit escalated from “rock concert” to “jet engine.”

Amid the hysteria, quarterback Alex Smith found Delanie Walker on a quick slant and Walker dragged safety Louis Delmas the final 2 yards into the end zone to topple the then-unbeaten Lions.

It was an emotional come-from-behind win that inspired the infamous handshake between Jim Harbaugh and Lions coach Jim Schwartz.

Nearly as memorable was the sound Walker’s touchdown inspired: silence.

3. Ginn is the Tonic

49ers 33, Seahawks 17, Sept. 11

New season. New coach. Same old excruciating losses?

That appeared as if it could be the case after Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin scored on a 55-yard catch-and-run with just under four minutes remaining.

The 49ers, who led 16-0 in the third quarter, were suddenly clinging to a 19-17 lead and there was a whiff of here-we-go-again in the air.

The foreboding lasted 11 seconds – the time it took for Ted Ginn to return a kickoff 102 yards for a game-sealing touchdown. He followed it up with a 55-yard punt return for a score 59 seconds later.

4. Manning Misses

49ers 27, Giants 20, Nov. 13

Sometimes the most crucial plays are the ones the other team fails to make.

That was the case in this game, which is remembered for Justin Smith batting down Eli Manning’s fourth-down pass to preserve the win in the final minute.

Eight plays before that knockdown, though, Manning had Mario Manningham open for what would have been a game-tying, 42-yard touchdown pass … but he overshot his all-alone wideout by a few inches.

If the pair had connected, New York would have tied the game with 14 points on two deep touchdown passes in about five minutes.

No telling if they would have had the Niners at that point, but they would have had all the momentum in a game that further established San Francisco’s legitimacy.

5. The Strip II

49ers 19, Seahawks 17, Dec. 24

Justin Smith is a Pro Bowler.

So is Patrick Willis.

Larry Grant? He’s a little-known backup linebacker who channeled Smith’s forced fumble in Philadelphia while subbing for the sidelined Willis.

With the Seahawks driving into territory for a game-winning field goal, Grant, initially juked by quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, recovered to chase down Jackson from behind and knock the ball loose with a mighty tomahawk chop.

Good teams get key contributions from stars and their backups.

At Seattle, the Niners got a game-saving play from the next man up.

6. Smith Stands, Somehow

49ers 19, Redskins 11, Nov. 6

One of the biggest plays of the 49ers’ season was a sack – by the Redskins.

In the first quarter, Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sacked Alex Smith with a hit so violent that the standard question (is the quarterback hurt?) was replaced by “Is that guy still breathing?”

Kerrigan impaled Smith on the 39-yard line with a helmet-to-sternum shot that left Smith’s chinstrap around his nose and, potentially, could have altered the course of San Francisco’s season.

Smith didn’t miss a play, let alone a chunk of the season, which would have suddenly been in the hands of rookie Colin Kaepernick.

7. The Crabtree Connection

49ers 19, Seahawks 17, Dec. 24

First, the 49ers had a punt blocked.

Then the Seahawks scored a touchdown.

Then there was an offensive pass interference call, a 2-yard run and San Francisco, trailing 17-16 late in the fourth quarter, faced a 2nd-and-18 with the Seattle crowd cheering as if Santa had arrived early with sacks of $100 bills.

Past editions of the 49ers would have caved, but this one got a perfectly placed 41-yard pass from Alex Smith down the left sideline to Michael Crabtree, a clutch connection that set up a game-winning field goal.

8. Oh My, Aldon

49ers 26, Rams 0, Dec. 4

By Week 13, it had been established that San Francisco had hit gold with rookie first-round pick Aldon Smith.

Late in the third quarter, however, Smith had a hit that suggested superstardom might be in his future.

Lined up against Rams’ left tackle Adam Goldberg, Smith eschewed finesse for force. The result? He left cleat marks in flat-on-his-back Goldberg with a bull rush he capped with a sack of A.J. Feeley for a 7-yard loss.

Smith is 6-4 and 258 pounds. Goldberg is 6-7 and 305.

And the play hinted at just how big a star Smith could be.

9. Gore Gets the Record

49ers 26, Rams 0, Dec. 4

The game wasn’t stopped. The chains didn’t move. And Frank Gore didn’t betray any emotion as he tossed the ball to an official and jogged back to the huddle.

Gore’s 2-yard run early in the second quarter wasn’t highlight-reel quality. But it had been preceded by six-plus years of brilliance, enough to make him the franchise’s leading rusher on a garden-variety run to the right.

Years before the 49ers were cast in a blue-collar image, Gore personified grit and toughness.

For that reason, the lack of fanfare surrounding yards No. 7,344 and 7,345 of his career seemed fitting.

10. Air Akers

49ers 34, Rams 27, Jan. 1

After setting an NFL record for field goals attempted in a season earlier in the game, David Akers trotted out for attempt No. 53 late in the third quarter.

Instead, he threw career touchdown pass No. 1.

Akers’ 14-yard toss to a couldn’t-be-more-wide-open Michael Crabtree gave the Niners a 27-10 lead, and those points proved to be important when the Rams staged a furious fourth-quarter rally.

In addition to the extra points, though, the flawlessly executed trick play was another reminder of how better coaching had the Niners fooling the opposition for a change.